Annual report 1986-87 (of the Department of Atomic Energy, Government of India)

The activities of the various constituent units of the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) (India) during the fiscal year 1986-87 are reported. The main thrust of the DAE's various activities is directed towards peaceful applications of nuclear energy - for generation of electric power in particular and for applications of radioisotopes and radiations in agriculture, medicine and industry in general. The various constituent units of DAE consist of research establishments, nuclear power plants, heavy water plants, nuclear fuel fabrication and reprocessing plants, industrial undertakings in public sector field which manufacture electronic equipment, and rare earth products from beach sands, uranium mines and uranium ore processing plants, regulatory and safety bodies and survey unit for exploration of atomic minerals. In addition DAE also fully funds the research programmes of the Institute of Physics at Bhubaneswar, the Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics at Calcutta, the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research and the Tata Memorial Centre both at Bombay. The report is presented in chapters entitled: (1) general survey, (2) nuclear power, (3) research and development, (4) regulatory and safety functions, (5) public sector undertakings, and (6) other activities such as international relations in the field of nuclear science and technology, financial assistance to research organization and universities, sponsoring of conferences, symposia, workshops etc. The work on three nuclear power plants at Narora, Kakrapar and Kaiga and two heavy water plants at Manuguru and Hazira is in various stages of construction. Some of the highlights of DAE's activities during the year are generation of 7273 million units of electric power by nuclear power stations, opening of a new uranium mine at Bhatin, completion of a heavy water plant at Thal, successful plasma run of the experimental MHD plant at Tiruchirapalli and commissioning of Orissa Sand Complex (OSCOM) plant which produces synthetic rutile. (M.G.B.)